Shorebirds

American Oystercatchers in Florida

By |September 25th, 2012|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't get to see or photograph Oystercatchers here in Utah but I still dream about these shorebirds and can hear their calls when I look at the thousands of images I took of them.

4 Years Ago Today When Hurricane Ike Stirred Things Up At Fort De Soto

By |September 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.

American Avocets In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 22nd, 2012|Categories: American Avocets, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this American Avocet in nonbreeding plumage as it foraged in Glover's Pond at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in northern Utah a few years ago in the month of November.

Ruddy Turnstones In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage can appear to be two different species to novice birders and bird photographers as can several other bird species.

Dunlins In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage

By |August 16th, 2012|Categories: Dunlins, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Dunlins exhibit a vast difference between nonbreeding and breeding plumage, so different that a novice birder might mistakenly believe that they were two different species.

Least Sandpiper – The World’s Smallest Shorebird

By |August 4th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Least Sandpipers, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) are the world's smallest shorebird, weighing in at a mere 0.7 ounces (20 g), a length of 6 inches and a wingspan of 13 inches.

Willets in Beaverhead County, Montana

By |July 29th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These images were taken at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana. There were two juvenile Willets plus an adult on the shoreline of the lower lake that delighted me.

Willet and Boreal Bluet Damselfly

By |July 26th, 2012|Categories: Beaverhead County, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On the first day of my recent trip to southwestern Montana I came across two Willets (Tringa semipalmata) near a lake shore, one was an adult and one was a juvenile.

Willet in the surf of the Gulf of Mexico

By |July 16th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Getting "Down & Dirty" pays off when photographing shorebirds like this Willet in the surf I photographed in Florida as it walked along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Three And A Half Months With A Young American Oystercatcher

By |July 4th, 2012|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Nesting Birds, Pinellas County, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In 2008 I had the great pleasure of observing and photographing a family of American Oystercatchers from the day after the chicks hatched until three and a half months later.

American Oystercatcher In A Tidal Lagoon

By |July 4th, 2012|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been working up images for a long post and this American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) image is a clue as to what that post will be about.

Whoa, that is a lot of Wilson’s Phalaropes!

By |June 22nd, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Brine Flies, Davis County, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

There were hundreds of thousands of Wilson's Phalaropes near the shoreline of the causeway, whirling around in the water and along the marshy areas not far from the park entrance.

An American Avocet

By |June 19th, 2012|Categories: American Avocets, Antelope Island State Park, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Currently I am considering pursuing legal action against a commercial web site in Layton, Utah that has stolen 4 of my copyrighted images and used them on their site. The process of making a legal claim is daunting to me, however; I feel that I have to stand up and fight for what is legally mine AND protected by law.

Birds on Poopy Perches

By |May 26th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Horned Larks, Humor, Long-billed Curlews, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I bet you are wondering what I mean by "Poopy perches", I know I would be if I saw that title. Am I talking about perches that are man-made and ugly? Or perches that are just not all that appealing visually?

Western Sandpiper on the Go

By |May 23rd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Western Sandpipers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It dawned on me this morning that I haven not posted an image of a Western Sandpiper here yet so I pulled this one out of my archives that I photographed at Fort De Soto as the small shorebird ran in front of me on the shoreline.

Long-billed Curlew in Cheatgrass

By |May 19th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Cheatgrass is invasive but I sure think it can be pretty especially with a lovely bird amongst it like this male Long-billed Curlew that I photographed on Antelope Island State Park recently.

Sidelit Piping Plover

By |May 15th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Low angle, Piping Plovers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This Piping Plover image reminds me to try to photograph birds in other than perfect light. Sidelit and backlit images can be spectacular so I don't like passing up taking the chance that I might just get a great shot despite what some photographers think of as bad light.

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